Redefining the Relationship with Community

Abstract

Businesses are increasingly called upon to collaborate with community stakeholders to generate solutions to societal problems. Emerging pastures of research from multiple disciplines explore how effective community engagement can bear a positive impact on business performance, from improving talent retention to supporting a robust innovation ecosystem. While the importance of community is increasingly recognized, the lack of a precise consensus definition for “community” may impede meaningful scholarship and practical understanding of community engagement. Additionally, the concept of community is evolving, posing new facets of this stakeholder group ripe for exploration. Our symposium draws together five papers that provide new insights into the relationship between businesses and communities drawing from several disparate disciplinary traditions. Additionally, it offers a perspective from a community organizer of how to constructively and effectively engage communities in business practices. Including Community in Governance to Deliver on Social Promises Presenter: Kimberly McGinnis; U. of Alaska Fairbanks Presenter: Cristina Gibson; Pepperdine Graziadio Business School A Process Approach to Community Engagement for Change, Development and Sustainability Presenter: Stephen Gibson; U. of California, Irvine Community Matters: Role of Community Div. Climate & Com. Embeddedness in Employee Intent to Stay Presenter: Barjinder Singh; Elon U. Presenter: Margaret A. Shaffer; U. of Oklahoma Presenter: T. T. Rajan Selvarajan; California State U., East Bay Expatriate and Newcomer Adaptation: A Community Stakeholder Focus Presenter: Mihaela Dimitrova; WU Vienna Presenter: Marlene Gruber; - Presenter: John Kammeyer-Mueller; U. of Minnesota A New Stakeholder Model Based on Graph Theory for Understanding Communities Presenter: Elisabet Garriga; EADA Business School